What are the key field management techniques for Coptis chinensis?

Coptis chinensis is a valuable Chinese medicinal herb. As market demand increases, the scale of artificial cultivation has been continuously expanding, and it is now mainly distributed in Sichuan, Guizhou, Hunan, Hubei and other areas of China. If Coptis chinensis is to achieve high yields, field management is the key, so how do we carry out field management? Let's take a look together below.

1. Management during the seedling stage

After sowing Coptis chinensis, we must promptly remove the plastic film or rice straw covering the upper layer of soil, so as not to affect the growth of Coptis chinensis seedlings. During this period, we should observe the soil moisture in the field and water reasonably to promote seedling growth. Once the seedlings have grown two or three true leaves, thinning must begin. In addition, we must set up a shade shed before Coptis chinensis emerges, so that after emergence the light intensity is not too strong and does not scorch the seedlings.

2. Replanting and establishing

Generally, when Coptis chinensis seedlings have grown to about 8 to 15 cm, we must begin the work of uniforming, transplanting and filling in seedlings, which simply means establishing them in the field. When transplanting, we first thin out some of the seedlings in the seedbed, and then plant the remaining seedlings, but some seedling death is unavoidable during planting, so every so often we need to check the survival of the seedlings and replant promptly to ensure a full stand in the field.

3. Cultivation and weeding

During the seedling stage, Coptis chinensis needs at least 3 to 5 rounds of cultivation and weeding, while after the seedlings are transplanted, generally only 2 to 3 rounds are needed. To avoid affecting the growth of Coptis chinensis, we usually carry out shallow cultivation after the rainy season, when the soil in the planting area has become compacted, so as not to damage the roots of Coptis chinensis. Secondly, when there are many weeds, we can pull them out by hand, or carry out cultivation to remove the weeds and reduce nutrient consumption.

4. Scientific water and fertilizer management

During the seedling growth period of Coptis chinensis, we need to apply fertilizer three times, mainly by watering with manure and urine water, and we must control the concentration of the manure and urine water, preferably at low concentration, so as not to burn the seedlings. After transplanting, we need to apply a first topdressing of dilute manure water, then in spring apply a quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer as topdressing, and then wait until autumn for topdressing; the autumn fertilizer is mainly farmyard manure. The amount of fertilizer applied per mu should not be too large, but it must also meet the growth needs of Coptis chinensis, generally controlled at around 3,000 jin.

5. Adjusting shade

For the growth of Coptis chinensis, we need to set up a shade shed, but we also need to reasonably adjust the light intensity. From the first year to the third year of Coptis chinensis growth, its demand for light is not great during this period, so we should often check whether the shade shed has defects and repair it promptly. By the fourth year, the degree of shading can be gradually reduced and the light intensity increased; if the light is too weak at this time, it will also affect the normal growth of Coptis chinensis.

That is all we will introduce about the field management techniques for Coptis chinensis cultivation. We hope it will be helpful to everyone, and we also wish everyone smooth sailing in the later planting process.